NFL teams
Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff Writer 11y

Jets, Bucs in staredown over Revis

NFL, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are refusing to surrender their 2013 first-round draft pick (13th overall) to acquire New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

The Bucs, however, might be willing to trade their first-rounder in 2014, the report said.

Jets general manager John Idzik is willing to wait until next month's draft, perhaps longer, before pulling the trigger on a Revis deal, sources said. But a soft deadline is approaching. If Revis is on the Jets' roster on Saturday, he earns a $1 million roster bonus.

"One million is a pittance in the big picture when you're talking about a player of Revis' stature and the compensation he could bring," a league source said Wednesday. "Don't be foolish with something like that."

The Jets could be perceived as cheap if they accept a less-than-market deal to save the $1 million bonus.

Revis is coming off ACL surgery, but he's still regarded as the best cornerback in the league. The Jets would be subject to intense criticism if they accept anything less than a first-round pick. They might have a better chance if they wait.

At the same time, owner Woody Johnson has told confidantes he doesn't want to give Revis another huge contract. Revis is due $6 million in the final season of a four-year, $46 million deal -- the product of a five-week holdout in 2010. He also staged a holdout as a rookie in 2007.

"Woody's like, 'He has to go; we need to trade him,'" another league source said. "There was no optimism that he'd ever get another deal done with [those agents]."

Revis is looking for a long-term extension that would pay him about $16 million per year. The Jets created salary-cap room in recent days -- they're roughly $15 million under the cap -- but don't appear motivated to extend Revis.

It's unlikely Revis would be traded without a new contract in place. No team would want to give up significant compensation for the possibility of a one-year rental. A clause in his contract prohibits his team from using the franchise tag on him, meaning he could bolt as an unrestricted free agent in 2014.

Revis' agents haven't received permission to negotiate a deal with the Bucs, sources said, but one source speculated the parameters of a new contract are already in place.

Publicly, the Bucs haven't denied interest in Revis.

"Everything's a possibility, but we're not allowed to talk about players under contract with other teams," coach Greg Schiano told the NFL Network at a news conference to introduce new safety Dashon Goldson.

"We're trying to get better, and anybody that can help us do that, they're definitely on our radar."

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